The Best Locking Pliers for any Job

My Grandfather always told me, “A man can do anything if has the right tool for the job.” I can say he was absolutely right. When it came to buying a pair of locking pliers I first had to figure out what jobs I would need locking pliers for.

What is the purpose of Locking Pliers?

Locking pliers have the primary purpose of preventing of what you are working on from moving. Ideally for hard to turn bolts or screws. If you are trying to remove a frozen nut, you simply clamp onto what you are moving on to prevent it from moving.

The specifics can vary. Locking Pliers (Or commonly called Vise Grip Pliers) can be used like regular pliers, but they are designed to prevent what you are working on from moving.

The best example of a job requiring Locking Pliers would be to think of removing a lug nut from a tire. If the wheel is not on the ground and you try to turn the lug nut, the tire will just spin. If you lowers the car and rest it on the ground, you can turn the tire iron to remove the lug nut.

In this example, the ground is your pair of locking pliers. The tire iron is what ever other tool you are working with. This often allows for an extra hand to work on your project and speeds up many common tasks.

What are the best pair of Locking Pliers?

After years of using locking pliers, I honestly thought they were all the same. They were a portable vise grip to help get unstuck nuts or screws. When ever I had to pull out my old paid of locking pliers I would also pull out a rag (to grip the pliers) and WD40 to loosen what ever I needed to remove. Follow this up by thirty minutes of cranking and I would get the job done.

Until I decided to go shopping, I had no other option. I often would defer or delay a project just for the sake of not needing to deal with my pliers.

Then I got a pair of Milwaukee Locking Pliers. The comfort grip, like all my other Milwaukee tools, felt great. Combine that with an easy to adjust locking measurement and I was sold.

These pliers really stood out when it came to torquing. The comfort grip allowed me to get better traction when trying to turn them. This caused nuts to come right out without WD40 or any prep time.

The lock stood up great. Other vise grip pliers often would loosen after prolonged work. This would require me to consistently re adjust. The lock was easy to adjust, but stayed in place without any real effort.

All in all, this is the best pair of vise grip pliers I have used. I highly recommend you pick up a pair before you need them.